


No Way to Know

by barchies



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Best Friends, Bughead wedding, Cheating, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Long-Distance Friendship, Pining, Wedding Night, the Varchie friendship we deserve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:08:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24677419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barchies/pseuds/barchies
Summary: Years after leaving Riverdale behind, in which he declared would be for good, Archie receives a wedding invitation in the mail– from his two ex-best friends.
Relationships: Archie Andrews & Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, archie andrews betty cooper
Comments: 16
Kudos: 80
Collections: Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper fanfictions





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first time posting a fic on AO3 and so i’m still getting in the hang of it! please let me know what you think! :) ALSO: everything up to the end of season four is canon. set post time jump!

As his phone vibrates, an unwelcomed call from a friend of the past he’s done _so terribly well_ at keeping at bay, he holds the fancy envelope in his hand, a creamish color with a thick stamp to seal it. Unable to grasp, or perhaps _,_ unable to truly accept the surnames on print. He has the address well-memorized, considering it is just two digits off of his own—and yet, in the mix of gut-wrenching pain and heartache, he still holds on to a scarily strong hope.

His phone chimes again.

The redhead drops the invitation back into a pile of all unopened mail, shuts off his ringer and heads to the bathroom to take a shower. A nice, hot shower to alleviate the sudden revival of longing, a feeling he’s grown used to controlling, but is now spiraling out of his might.

But, even with the patter of each drop of water drowning out the noise of his thoughts, the curiosity slowly sneaks up on him, eating away at his entire being for the rest of the night. His previous disinterest of whom the wedding invitation arrived from— _was it mother or daughter? father or son?_ —suddenly became a _need_ of his to know _._

And so, he sits at his couch for a good minute or two, looking off into the distance of whatever _The Office_ rerun episode played on his television, before deciding to open the letter, to unveil the life he swore to _never_ return to, to reexpose himself to a lifetime’s worth of unresolved feelings he once deemed himself unworthy to explore.

He impatiently tears it open, reading what he was afraid to see.

_We hereby invite you to celebrate the elopement of Elizabeth Cooper to Forsythe Pendleton “Jughead” Jones, Jr._

Sadness, pain, heartbreak— words all too minuscule to describe the severing tsunami of emotions ripping away through his heart. Through his new, established life in Becken’s Park, Maryland— Far far away from his hometown, just the distance he thought would suffice. He promised himself years before leaving for the Navy that he would not, under any circumstance, give into any update of disaster or mystery or anything Betty-related begging him to come home. The only exception, of course, being his family. Since his high school graduation, his brain has been in auto-pilot—he decided his passion would no longer be in writing music, his dad’s construction company nor would it be falling in love. Rather, his focus would strictly be to find a promising career in whatever the Navy offered, and to meet a perfect, wife-able girlfriend—both, of which, he now has. He could easily settle down, elope and start a family if that’s what he so wished. And yet, Betty and Jughead were _still_ able to beat him to it.

Surely, it isn’t a competition to him. Marriage should never be that. But, it seemed painfully unfair to him, that in the same four years that he cut himself off from everyone else, suffering an exhaustive (although promising)career, one he has always found repulsive and far too redneckish for his liking, all the while, his two ex-best friends were _still_ falling in love, guiltlessly, unconditionally, and now, now they’re getting married.

The realization frustrates him to bits, causing him to crumple the delicately made invitation into a paper ball and launching it across his humble apartment. He sighs deeply. _It shouldn’t bother him as much as it does._

Then, there’s a knock at the door.

Archie reluctantly moves, unable to hide the rush of disappointment and years of pent up emotion crossing his mind when he unlocks the door. He expects to see his landlord or neighbor, so he’s visibly shocked when he locks eyes with a woman he once loved deeply.

“ _Archiekins_ ,” says the voice of the well-known Veronica Lodge.

The raven-haired girl, _no, now she’s a woman,_ Archie corrects, has undeniably grown into her face and body, and her hair is straightened, a little shorter from what Archie recalls. Their first reunion in what seems to be a lifetime, and still, he’d be lying if he said he felt sparks fly.

“Ronnie, what are you doing here?”

“Gee, Archie, I appreciate the warm welcome. Oh yeah, and thanks for answering my calls!” She invites herself in, taking off her sneakers.

_She wears sneakers?_ Archie does a double take before following her to the couch. He feels a little bad that his whole apartment is so disoriented, that he himself is currently not at his best.

“Alright, I’m sorry for being rude, Ronnie, but I’m… honestly a little confused. How did you find my address?”

“ _God,_ Archie, did you leave Riverdale or get amnesia? Me finding your address should be the least of your concern.”

He swallows. So, _that’s_ why she’s here.

She senses his tense pause, the darkness of the entire apartment eerily mirroring the owner’s mood. She continues. “Anyway, I’m guessing you got the invite.”

“To Jughead and Betty’s…” A pause. He hesitates. “Wedding?”

“That’s the one.” And weirdly, Veronica looks a little sad, too. The reason? Beats him.

Another moment of silence. A wedding is meant to symbol the commemoration of eternal love, not signal the death of one. Perhaps, it could do both.

The thought makes Archie erupt in a tiny, painful laugh. He wishes Veronica would join him, for the sake of honoring the good ol’ days, when they were Archiekins and Ronnie, or, _endgame,_ she would always say. Now, they’re just plain Archie and Veronica. She looks at him like he’s lost his mind.

“You know, when you broke up with me, I was an absolute wreck,” She confesses, but there’s no longer a bitterness in her tone. “And it was all because of Betty, my best friend, who you kissed not once, _Archie Andrews,_ but twice.”

He counts three kisses. A fairly small number that does not match the immense amount of time he has spent thinking about them, replaying each moment in his head, even when he shouldn’t have. But, he doesn’t correct her.

“You need to come to Riverdale.” There it is. A push, one he has sworn to ignore. But he can’t help but consider it, even for a flicker of a moment.

“No,” He spits. He dismisses the conversation and grabs a glass of water in the kitchen, but like always, Veronica is quick to follow.

“I’m in love with Jughead.”

The absurd confession sends the water right back out of his mouth, luckily landing in the sink. He wipes his lips, still recovering.

“ _What_?” He asks, incredulously.

“Glad to finally get your attention,” She replies smug, making it crystal clear she made it all up. “But, hypothetically, if I were in love with him, wouldn’t you advise me to go and tell him before he married someone else for the rest of his life?”

He doesn’t answer, and instead walks back out of the kitchen, angrily. He knows exactly what she’s getting at, and the idea of it all enfuriates him. He could never do that to them.

“Did you ever tell her?” Veronica asks, raising her voice.

Again, no answer.

“ _Archie_ ,” Veronica prods him, sick of him dodging the truth.

“I have an amazing, perfect girlfriend, a stable job with many benefits. I’m sorry. But I don’t want to go back to Riverdale to help solve a new mystery, Veronica.

“You talk so highly of everything you have, but, are you happy?” He turns his head away.

His head returns to the auto-pilot setting, unable to let himself care for too long. He points at his door.

“I think you should go, Veronica,” He shoots. Possibly the rudest thing he’s ever said to her.

Veronica exhales, not at all offended, but rather, understanding. An Archie who’s lived four years without his Betty. What did she expect?

She walks towards the door, finding her next words carefully. “You… you changed. And not for the better. And even then, I’m telling you now, Betty still means something to you, and whatever that is, you need to tell her.”

Before leaving, she spots a crumpled piece of paper left untouched near the door. She picks it up, let’s out a sarcastic laugh, then throws it at him. And then, she’s gone.

Archie instantly punches the couch when she leaves. He feels guilty having kicked a friend of his out like that, but she was reopening old scars he kept hidden for so long.

The truth is, he did tell Betty. And she chose Jughead.

* * *

_FOUR YEARS AGO_

He peaks outside his bedroom window, possibly for the last time. At least for a while. Today, he leaves for boot camp Maryland, and only his mother and Veronica know. He doesn’t have the heart to tell Betty. He knows whatever she says, it’ll make him second think everything. It’ll make him want to stay. But, of course, he still plans on saying goodbye, in the limited manner he can without her find out. He’s meeting up with the three of them at Pop’s, one more time. A bit of a last hurrah, to the few people whom he shared every tragic Riverdale experience with. And with Betty, who he shared an entire lifetime with.

So, when he’s out of town and out of reach, he has a letter addressed to Betty’s home. The cryptic letter is already sitting in the mailbox, waiting to be sent. A letter he’s written, spilling his guts out, examining every song he’s ever written, but mostly, an apology. That this is the way it has to be.

Betty and Jughead are already sitting in their booth when he arrives, the both of them facing him as the bell jingles when he enters. He smiles at them both, a bittersweet one. He doesn’t know when he’ll see them again, if ever. If Betty will ever forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye. Suddenly, his stomach fills with butterflies and guilt, slowing his walk to the booth.

“Hey, Arch. You okay?” Betty questions, as he takes his seat.

“Yeah,” He mutters. “Did you guys order already?”

“Two chocolate, one strawberry and one vanilla,” Betty recites. He smirks.

And, the booth is normal, for the most part. Betty and Jughead are wrapped in each other’s arms, and Archie is telling reminiscent stories, which would be obvious if Betty had any idea. But she thinks he’s leaving in the fall. He wonders, maybe Betty knows, and she doesn’t care, that she’s so in love with Jughead. Perhaps, Veronica mentioned it, but he’s certain Veronica doesn’t talk to Betty much after finding out about the kiss, much less about him.

“What’s taking Veronica so long?” Jughead asks, impatiently. And, it’s the first time all day Archie notices something different about him. He’s glowing. He looks at Betty if she mirrors the same energy. She’s happy, too, but not any different that he’d notice.

“I don’t know, I’ll text her.” He unlocks his phone, looking for her contact through his messages.

“ _Hey, Ronnie. WYA_?” Then, three dots loading.

“I can’t make it, Archie. Sorry.”

His heart sinks. She knows he’s leaving. He pretends not to get a response until enough time has passed, and it won’t be obvious that her absence is such a big deal to him. He at least wanted to say goodbye.

“Uh, she can’t make it anymore,” says Archie. But still, it’s oddly silent for a moment. He plays it off as though it were no big deal, but as soon as he catches Betty’s gaze, he knows he can’t hide his disappointment.

Jughead breaks the trance of awkward exchanges and looks between them. “Hey, that means I can have her milkshake.” He takes the glass and slurps away, and Archie can’t help but smile. Betty nudges him in the gut, Jughead sipping away at his own pleasure. “It’s really the _only_ thing I have in common with her.”

“Whatever, Jug,” Archie says, “It’s okay if you’ve developed a liking for Veronica. We’re not dating anymore.”

“Woah, woah! Now, I _may_ have come around to the raven-haired girl, who by the way, has far too many daddy issues, _but_ ,” He throws his arm around Betty. Archie didn’t even realize it had come off. He continues, “I’m 100 percent Betty’s guy.”

Jughead grins, popping the cherry top of his milkshake’s into his mouth. Betty glances at Archie, shifting in her seat. Archie wonders if she knows he’s jealous, or if she’s uncomfortable all on her own. A part of him senses both, but he shakes the thought.

“Actually,” Jughead starts, Betty shoots a glare at him, perking Archie’s curiosity. Fortunately, Jughead continues, “Betty and I-”

“W-Wait.. Don’t you want to wait? For when V is here?” Betty disrupts. Clearly, they’re hiding something. It makes Archie’s stomach swirl.

“I know, but I just want to spit it out already. While it’s fresh.”

Archie adds, “Yeah, whatever it is, you already teased it. And I can keep a secret. What is it?” He wouldn’t push so much if he weren’t leaving today.

Jughead looks to Betty, who nods shyly.

“We had the talk about whether or not we want to pursue a long distance relationship, with her going to Yale and I’ll be in Iowa.” It has to be a break-up, a break, or something of the sort. But, then, he realizes, they are still _very much_ together. Archie suddenly feels overwhelmed.

“But, I realized. I don’t want to be with anyone else. Ever. So, Betty and I…”

Then, Archie wishes he never said anything at all.

“ _We’re engaged_.”

* * *

He can’t deny that the thought came up a couple times over the years. If they already got married, sans wedding. Or maybe, there was a wedding, and he just didn’t receive an invite because he left town without saying a proper goodbye. And now he knows.

He goes to sleep that night, unable to put his thoughts sparked by Veronica’s visit to rest.

And so, when he wakes up, disoriented in the middle of the night, tears streaming down his face, he calls Veronica.


	2. Chapter 2

The mail man knocks on the door, dropping off a pile of RSVPs that could not fit into the Cooper-Jones’ mail box. Betty is the only one home to accept them, and so she leaves them unsorted on the dining table. With Jughead already working for the Riverdale newspaper, in addition to writing his own novel, Betty feels a little useless around the house. Jughead tells her planning the wedding should be ample enough to do, but she knows he’s only trying to make her feel better. Truth is, she doesn’t know the next steps of her career. She’s dreamed of joining the FBI ever since tragedy and mystery overtook every headline in the town she grew up in—but, reality is, if she marries Jughead, or, now that the invitations are out, _when_ she marries him, the chances of her ever leaving Riverdale again are little to none. Perhaps she should start preparing to become Riverdale High’s new school psychologist, if they’ll even have her.

Betty grabs a glass of water before taking her seat to look through each RSVP, creating a cute little excel sheet that boosts her ego a little too much. Maybe a domestic life in Riverdale as an office assistant wouldn’t be too bad. _Who is she kidding_ , the idea of it makes her gag.

She’s in the middle of the stack, when she receives a text notification from Veronica.

“ _Hey, B. I’ll be back in Riverdale tmrw. Care for lunch_?”

She texts back instantly. “ _Of course! Should I bring Jug or just a girls day?_ ”

“ _Just us girls! Lots of time for the three of us bonding another time. Xx._ ”

Betty’s heart sinks when she reads _three._ Missing Archie. She wonders how he’s doing, after all this time. If he’s happy. If he did indeed read her letters and just decided she wasn’t worthy enough to write back. She wishes she knew.

She gives up sorting through all the mail and heads back to her room, looking through all the belongings she left behind as she was studying at Yale. She scoffs under her breathe when she comes across exactly what she went up to her room looking for—the only diary she didn’t burn. Weird, how all thanks to her mother, she didn’t lose all the memories she’s built up over the years.

She opens the journal, the pages reeking of a new, untouched book. Her fingers trail on the page of the diary’s final addition.

_Dear diary,_

_I don’t know what I’ve done, or what to do. I love Jughead Jones. He’s the only man for me. That’s what I told him, and then, I stupidly go and kiss Archie. I wish I could say I didn’t feel a thing, but I can’t lie. And that’s the worst part. I’ve loved Archie for as long as I’ve known... I’ve been in love with him my whole life. How could I not feel anything? Whenever I’m kissing Jug, I think of the boy next door, and what we’ve done. I just want to cry, I want to break down. I don’t want to lose everything, and I know it’s selfish, but I want to finish the year off, no problems, nothing. I just want to enjoy everything for a little longer. Today, I’m meeting Archie at the bunker. And I don’t know if it’s a good thing._

_I know I have to tell him eventually._

_Sincerely, Betty_

The last line sends shivers down her spine. She wonders if she meant to write a cryptic sentence, one meant to confuse her, even four years down the line. She shuts the book when she hears the door open downstairs, and she decides to hide her diary back where she found it, before heading back.

As she looks from her spot on the stairs, she finds her mother looking through the mail she left on the counter. Betty clears her throat, to make her presence known.

“Oh, hi, sweetie,” says Alice, her attention still focused on the mail. “These all came back so fast.”

“Yeah, looking through all of them is a pain in the ass,” She replies, meeting her. Having not looked through them all, she wonders if Archie sent one back. Or, maybe the invitation got lost with all the other letters she sent.

She scratches the thought when her mom approaches her curiously. “What’s on your mind, hun?”

“Nothing, I’m just… I’m tired of being home all day,” The younger blonde admits, exasperating.

“Well, if you want, I can get a day off work and we can start dress shopping tomorrow,” Alice suggests, kindly.

It’s the third time this week she’s offered to take Betty out shopping for a wedding dress. Betty thinks it’s more for herself than it is for her.

“Actually, I can’t tomorrow.”

Her mother senses her uncertainty. “Look, Betty, I know Jughead might have taken you by surprise proposing in front of all those people. But, think about it this way. I married your father… did I love him? Sure, and I’m glad I did, because I had you and Polly. _But,_ even as I said my vows, I knew that my heart truly belonged to FP.”

Her example doesn’t help at all.

“My point is, if you know you love someone, _pick him,_ right away, and marry him! You love Jughead, might as well get the wedding over with, and you have the whole rest of your life to figure everything else out.”

“Mom,” Betty exhales. “As much as you may think I’m avoiding going dress hunting with you, I’m actually having lunch with Veronica tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Alice surrenders, as she walks up the stairs. “We may have the venue and the date set, Elizabeth. But it all means nothing without the bride.”

Betty sincerely wishes her mother wasn’t on to her. But, how could she hide it? Of course she’s uncertain about the wedding, uncertain if this is actually the life she always wanted. If this is the life she currently wants. Married at 21? She may have committed to Jughead a long time ago, and she truly does love him, but how could she not be shocked when he throws out a proposal the same day she moved back to Riverdale? How could she not be upset?

She relaxes, offsetting the sudden anger that boiled beneath her skin, rekindling an old habit of hers to dig her nails into her palms. It’s a man’s equivalent of punching his fist through a wall.

She’s more upset that she wasn’t able to tell him about the kiss she shared with Archie before he could repropose.

* * *

_A MONTH AGO_

Betty feels nervous as she looks out the window to the _Welcome to Riverdale_ sign. She doesn’t know exactly where she stands with Jughead, if he still wants to marry her after all this time living in two separate states. Typically, the time they spend together would suffice. But, most of the time they saw each other was often during breaks, but, this recent year was hard on them. Betty decided to take Yale’s summer session to get enough credits to graduate a double major in Criminal Psych and Economics. Then, the workload her fourth year was so rough, she didn’t come home for Thanksgiving. And, as if to take away all their precious time, Jughead went on a ski retreat with Gladys and Jellybean over winter break. The odds were just not in their favor.

But, even that isn’t reason enough to explain why Betty anxiously plays with her silly ring wrapped around her finger. In addition to their lack of quality time, she still hasn’t told Jughead about the whole kiss with Archie. And today, she plans on it.

So, the moment Alice parks into the driveway of their home, Betty disregards all of her luggage in the car, even though she can hear her mother scowl. She walks straight to the door. She doesn’t really have a game plan, other than uttering the impossibly painful statement.

_I kissed Archie,_ or maybe _, This one time, a long time ago, while we were together, I kissed Archie, but it doesn’t matter anymore._

She can’t decide on what to say when the door clicks open, and suddenly, a loud clutter of chants translating to be a, “ _WELCOME HOME, BETTY!”_ rings in her ears. She spots Jughead already facing her at the door, much more better dressed than she remembers. She manages to let out a slight gasp, revealing her genuine shock, and hopefully, hiding her disappointment. She wraps her arms around Jughead, unable to even whisper what she needed to tell him so urgently.

And, as if to make matters worse, he startles her when he drops to his knee, pulling out a red velvet box. He flicks it open, revealing a shiny ring, sparkling in the dullness of the room. Betty looks up for a tiny second, her eyes meeting with Kevin’s, who’s clearly squealing uncontrollably.

Jughead starts speaking, receiving her full attention. “Betty, I love you so much. And I will love you for the rest of my life. I literally cannot wait another minute. Betty Cooper, will you marry me?”

She pauses, at a loss for words. The answer should be easy. It should just fall out, at least that’s how she imagined it in her millions of daydreams. She covers her mouth, to save herself the embarrassment, and mutters an answer as genuinely as she could.

“ _Yes_ ,” and then, everyone’s cheering again, Jughead stands to kiss her, placing the ring on her finger, matching the precious play one he gave her years ago. And it’s a good, happy, great life moment.

She should be on the moon. Instead, she feels guilt eating away at her stomach, an unwelcome smile just crowding the feeling.

* * *

The next day, Betty prepares herself for her lunch with Veronica, expecting her to demand she tell her of all the quote on quote _deets_ of her engagement to Jughead. She’s not exactly excited to have to admit to her old best friend that she _still_ has yet to tell her now fiancée that she was once unfaithful in their relationship. But, she is excited to catch up with Veronica again, to see how her life in New York is.

She shoots her a message, asking if she’d like to meet at Pop’s or some high-end Lodge approved restaurant.

To Betty’s surprise, Veronica says, “ _Pop’s is fine. And, don’t rush, we’re running a little late_.”

Betty becomes puzzled, considering Veronica told her just yesterday that it would be strictly a girl’s hangout, but it appears she’s bringing a plus one.

Betty questions, suggestively. “ _We?_ ”

Veronica was bound to find another man in New York, so she’s not surprised. She just doesn’t understand why she would keep it a secret from her.

_“Oh yeah, change of plans. Really last minute! Archiekins is coming. Gtg!_ ”

Betty feels her heart quiver when she reads his name. She’s unsure if it’s longing or contempt.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be making my chapters longer, so my updates won't be as frequent, but I'm working on the next one right now. Stay safe everyone, these are serious tough times, and I hope you can honor yourself with a break every once in a while!

_Dear Betty,_

_Unless you've checked on me in the last few days, you're probably wondering why I've suddenly become old-fashioned and sent you a love letter. And, well, this might come to you as a surprise. Today, or yesterday, I guess— I left Riverdale for the Navy.  
_

_I'm sorry, and goodbye. An apology and a farewell that I wasn't able to give you in person. First of all, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Apart of me just thinks that if I did, whatever you would have said against leaving, it would have been enough for me to just stay here. I've thought about it, about staying, actually. Because sometimes I want you to make me stay, but in a way differently then what you'd imagine. In another life, I wouldn't have to leave. But it's hard to even think of letting myself just wash away here in Riverdale, becoming a sad pathetic loser, losing the only sense of light and purpose left in my life._

_I think about that all the time. And well, if I'm_ _being honest, that light, it has and will always be you, Betty. If I'm gonna end up losing you in every way, I might as well try and stop the others from happening._

_We never talked about it since we met in the bunker. But, don't worry, I will keep whatever happened between us a secret. Though, Veronica knows, and I don't know if she'll mention anything. I promise, I respect what you have and may continue to have with Jughead._

_Betty, I want you to know, whatever did happen between us, it was the most absolute realest thing I've ever felt in my entire life. I never questioned that. I'm sorry for ever putting you through so much pain and confusion all at once. You don't deserve that. If you think I left Riverdale because of you, that's far from it. I left because I'm scared. I left because I love you. I left because I don't think I'll ever stop._

_I think some part of me will always care for you, Betty. And I'm sorry for not realizing that any sooner. I don't really know when I'll be back. But, keep in touch, if you can. I hope you love Yale._

_Also, I've sent some song lyrics that I've written about you. They were always about you, Betty._

_Love,_ _Archie_

* * *

Archie rapidly bounces his knee, nervous. He waits anxiously as he sits in Veronica's passenger seat, passing through Riverdale's city limits. Passing through what seems has become the Gates of Hell. He instantly feel regret pool in his stomach, thinking of what he last said to her, and how he never ever really even heard back. Well, she did send a letter back. And sent one again and again and again. He never did open any of the letters after the first, though.

He asks to borrow Veronica's phone, to change the music. He instead forges a message to Betty, _Poor Archiekins can't make it anymore. Just you and I!_

Veronica spots him suspiciously, slapping her phone into his lap, only for it to click send. She groans, upset. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Drop me off, please. I can't."

"Archie."

" _Please_ ," He begs, raising his voice, though it cracks. The desperation in his voice is evident, and Veronica wonders how badly it went down between him and Betty. Neither of them cared to tell her.

"Look, Archie. You can't keep putting off seeing her, okay."

"I know. It's just so soon. And it's.."

"It's hard. I get it," She says, "But, next time, I'm dragging you to her, _by the ears I say_ , if I have to."

Archie chuckles lightly, the first laugh Veronica witnesses since she's seen him. The raven-haired girl sits, stunned. He picks up her phone again, this time, actually opening her Spotify to change the station. She takes the road leading to his neighborhood, rolling her eyes as Archie blasts an old Rock jam, Veronica assumes is probably by Led Zeppelin. She takes the smart, executive decision to speed to his house.

Her phone chimes as the music plays, and she probably would have missed it had Archie not been so obvious in picking it up.

He looks at the notification from Betty. "Do you want me to read it?"

"You sent the message."

Archie nods. He reads the text message.

He swallows, "Uh, she said, _Oh, that's okay. I'll be there in ten!_ She seems relieved."

"Well, can you blame her? Ever think that maybe, she's hurt too because you left the only home you've ever known without telling her, your _best friend_ you've known your _entire_ life?"

He shrugs, defeated. He knows Betty doesn't care that he left. But Veronica doesn't know about the letter.

They finally get to Archie's house, his porch a bit dimmed, but he knows his mom is home. The moment he told her he was coming back to Riverdale for an entire week, she got all her shifts covered. He smiles, nostalgic of being in this place, of smelling the fresh air after a long drive. He pulls out his rusty key that was left untouched for years now, and fits it into the door, and he's instantly greeted with paws pattering against the wooden floor, gradually nearing him. He grins as he sees Vegas come running towards him, sporting more streaks of gray fur, but healthy nonetheless.

He's in the middle of telling Vegas what a good boy he is when he senses his mom standing still from the stairs. She's on the verge of tears as she hugs him, unable to fully grasp that her son is _actually_ here. She also feels tempted to slap him for taking this long to come back.

"I can't believe my son is… home. And breathing too! I almost thought you died without telling me, Archie."

" _Mom_. I call you everyday," says Archie, ticked off.

"Fake recordings? Smart auto-reply machines? I don't know?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let me grab my stuff from Ronnie's car, then we can eat dinner."

She nods. "I'll set the table!"

Archie meets Veronica back outside, she's on her phone in her car. He knocks on the window to open the trunk, which she follows. He's not at all surprised she's not offering to help, it's Veronica, after all. Some things never change.

He grabs all his bags, thanking her for the ride and later, he invites her inside. She refuses to, though, and insists that she go and catch up with Betty so they can carpool. He nods, watching as Veronica struts to Betty's front door. Not like he's waiting, or anything. But, he conveniently stays out there until she's let in, but Mrs. Cooper opens. He exhales, before meeting his mother inside for dinner.

She keeps him updated with everything happening in Riverdale. Hermione Lodge is rerunning for mayor, going against a no name Archie doesn't even recognize. And, for what it seems, there hasn't been much crime, at least, none as big as what he faced before he left. She talks about Brooke and how she plans on moving in, but Archie's more surprised that she hasn't already. Then, of course, the inevitable conversation. Betty and Jughead's wedding of the century, one nobody invited could possibly miss by choice. Though, Archie begs to differ.

"So… does you coming back to Riverdale have to do with the _news_?" Mary boldly asks.

Archie hates the way she says news and expects him to know what she's implying. He hates more that he does, in fact, know what she's implying.

"Can't a guy just come back to the town he's always loved?"

"Well, when you haven't been back for four years, it certainly can't be out of the blue."

"Mom, I'm sorry. Really. It's just, sometimes, I wanna come back to see you. But then, coming back also means coming back to people who either hate me, or are—" Archie's voice cracks, and he can feel himself breaking down. " _Gone_ _._ And i-it hurts."

"Archie, honey, I know it's tough without your father. It's alright. You don't have to explain anything, okay?" Mary strokes the back of his shoulder. He nods quietly, and the rest of dinner is silent.

Archie cleans up after their dinner, feeling remorseful for having ruined the mood of his oh-so-epic homecoming. He finished drying the last plate before heading up.

He unpacks his bags on the ground, moving it off his bed, untouched for years now. He eagerly cannonballs into the mattress, destroying the iron-like fit of the comforter, and sending millions of dust particles up into the air. He lies there, enjoying himself just for a moment, before his mind wanders to the inevitable.

His window. _Their_ window. He instantly thinks of looking out, just to take a peek at her, doing something small like brush her hair. A surplus of memories of him accidentally catching Betty jumping and singing in her room resurface, causing a smile to grow on his face. He recalls having joined her sudden splurges of energy, even when he couldn't be there physically. He almost stands to get up, but then he realizes she's with Veronica at Pop's. And on top of that there _is_ worse— he may see Jughead through the window instead.

Archie instead looks through a bunch of messy, disorganized papers on his desk. He sees his trash still filled with a mountain of crumpled sheets, and he remembers clearly what they hold. In there exists the many attempts Archie tried to describe in words how deeply sorry he is for leaving unwarranted. He cringes at the memory, sighing as he sits back on his bed. He ends up falling asleep.

The next morning, he wakes up disoriented in the print of his jeans, his hair messily lying atop his head, perched like a bird's nest. He yawns audibly, grabbing a pillow to groan in. The clock reads _5:02 am._ Eventually, he decides to go out for a run around the block. He changes into a pair of old basketball shorts and no top, before heading out into the still very chilly morning. Archie breathes aloud, releasing clouds of air to fun before him, and he records a six minute mile. He stops in front of his house, panting heavily. It's still only _5:18 am_. Waking up early has been a habit of his since his father passed, but was even more reinforced when he went to the Navy. He decides to run another few blocks, before finally heading up for a shower.

When he gets back to his room, he sees something move in the window frame, even if just for a second. He hesitantly looks, as though he'd risk being turned into stone by Medusa. And, as he suspected, Betty opened the curtains to her window, surprising him. He doesn't see her, though, and so he shrugs it.

He's only here to tell her the truth, he reminds himself, the _whole_ truth in person, to get the closure he needs. The closure he so desperately needs, and so finally, he can move on with his new life in Maryland, and maybe he'll buy a ring to propose to Marci. A brand new life, and coming back to Riverdale would _strictly_ andonly be to visit his mother and his father. That's it.

As if she could read his mind, Marci gives him a call. She's on a business trip in London, which is five hours ahead from here.

"Hey, good morning," Archie greets, a bit guilty. As if he was doing something bad. But, he's just visiting his hometown, it's completely innocent.

"Hi, babe! I miss you," says Marci, and then Archie feels really bad. The words fall off before he could even open his mouth.

"I'm in Riverdale, Marci."

She pauses, puzzled. "O-Oh! Well, it's about time you visited home!"

"Yeah," He replies, but he feels disappointed. That she's not angry with him, that she's not yelling at him. Mostly, that she's not worried about him. She _should_ know how hard this would be for him. She should just know. Sure, he doesn't talk about Riverdale and tries to limit any sort of reference to his past, but that alone is exactly enough reason why Marci should drip even an ounce of concern. But she shows none.

She asks him about his plans and out of courtesy, why the spontaneity.

"I just missed home! Look, I actually have plans right now, but I'll call you later?" _Plans at nearly six in the morning, really Archie?_ Tactless. He's lucky Marci isn't necessarily the smartest.

"Yeah! I'll be in a conference for most the day, but tonight. I love you," Marci tells him.

He frowns. "Love you, Mar. Gotta go!"

He hangs up the phone, disappointed in himself for acting so strangely and obvious. He spends not even a day, but a single night in Riverdale and he's lost sense of the commitments he swore to himself. Next thing he knows, he's throwing a balled fist into the punching bag still hanging from his ceiling. He exhales loudly, a second just before he gazes out the window. Then, he sees her. And this time, it's not a figment of his memory, but it's _really_ her. He feels frozen in time, his eyes stuck open with some mystical toothpicks, and he develops the tiniest of a smile. She doesn't see him, though, as he can only see her side as she talks on the phone. Soon enough, she walks out of the frame. From the other side, though, Archie feels layers of worked up walls strip away, not even by his own will. His fist unravels, and he stands there, thinking. Unsure.

Unsure. If just seeing her does this to him, what's he gonna do when he _actually_ confesses, let alone speak to her?

* * *

_Dear Archie,_

_I shouldn't be writing to you. I'm angry, and I'm extremely upset that you just left town without even saying a real goodbye. I got your address from your mom, and I figured it's time that I wrote. No matter how angry and hurt I was, I can't be mad forever. I'll just patiently wait for you to get back to Riverdale, and then I'll beat you swollen. I'm serious, Arch! The least you could have done was told me._

_But, I'll keep you updated with everything. I don't leave for Yale for another few weeks, but without you here, and Veronica hardly speaking to me, it feels like I should go sooner. There's at least Jughead, of course. We're making the most of what time we have left, and yeah, we're engaged and all. But… if that bothers you or anything, I still haven't told him about the kiss, and well… I couldn't marry him if he didn't know._

_I miss you, Arch! Please write back soon._

_Love, Betty Cooper_

* * *

He nearly memorized the entire thing, if he's being honest. The simply and kindly written letter, one that, in another world, would be fine. Would be perfect. Had he not spilled his guts out in the letter that preceded this. Her obvious unimportance and inattention to the feelings he so generously shared with her was reason enough to stop reading every letter followed.

And well, if the wedding is clearly happening, he figures, she must have told him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I changed Archie's hometown for the last four years to be located in Maryland rather than New Jersey, because according to Google, Riverdale exists in New York but Veronica goes to New York as if it's an entirely different state.. so, Riverdale is in New Jersey in this fic. Sorry if that's confusing!

_Dear Archie,_

_Either your letter is coming in extremely late or it got lost in the mail, but I'm texting your mom to double check your address before I send this, so that way I know for sure you get it._ _But, assuming you didn't get the last letter… I'll sum it up. I'm upset with you, Arch. As any best friend would be. But, it's a little easier to write about the second time around, and complete forgiveness will come eventually. Still, when you get back home, I owe you a punch in the gut._

_Anyway, as much as I hated you for a good few days, I decided that I miss you more. But, I guess life does go on. I moved into Yale the other week. I hate that I left Riverdale and I haven't made things right by V. At least she came over to say goodbye. Okay. Maybe I'm still a little upset._

_In other news, my new roommate is amazing. Her name is Jess, she's a Libra-God knows what that means- but I just know you would love her. She's a very passionate music major and I imagine you two would bond very well. So, when you graduate from training, I'm hoping you could visit campus at least once. You can meet her, and I can show you around. It's so beautiful here, Arch. The enormous trees are of such a height, they almost touch the sky, faintly grey, but never too gloomy. And the best thing of all, are the massive libraries, reeking of those old and thick, dusty books they dramatically slam in the movies. Though, I will say, it isn't nearly as astonishing, but I have to make this out-of-state tuition worth it somehow. To be completely honest, I could only think a few things that are missing. But this should do for the next four years._

_I'm sorry if I bore you with all this talk about Yale, truth is, I feel like I haven't been able to talk to anyone back home aside from Jughead. And, lately, I've been thinking about Jug, and sometimes I just feel like our whole engagement is a bit silly. Not that I don't want to commit to him, but maybe getting engaged at eighteen wasn't exactly a fairytale meant to become a reality. I love him, I do, but I don't know if this is what's best for us._

_I would really love to hear about the Navy, though! What's it like? Do_ _you have a buzz cut? Because, I would pay to see my Archie bald._

_Kidding. Write back soon!_

_Love, Betty Cooper_

* * *

Veronica finishes the last french fry in her basket, moving her gaze onto Betty's half full one. Betty notices, smiling before offering her the rest.

"I'm sorry, I just, can you believe I drove the _entire_ way here? I'm starving! Archiekins isn't exactly the best road trip partner, he wasn't very gentleman-like."

Betty chuckles, not realizing the weight of what's she thinking until after she asks. "So, you and Archie?"

Veronica scrunches her eyebrows together, much more occupied in her food. Betty thinks she's acting a whole lot like Jughead right now. "Me and Archie.. what?"

She looks up to Betty, who's wearing a suggestive look, and then understands exactly what she's getting at.

" _Oh,_ you mean... No! God, Betty, he cheated. I can forgive wealth, I can forgive commitment issues, and I can even forgive bad sex. But cheating? Cheating is where I draw the line," She says pointedly, and as if to add onto Betty's built up guilt, she adds, "And I mean that with absolutely no offense to Jughead."

"Yeah. Sorry about that, again," Betty smiles, shortly. She figures it's out of her own best interest to keep this secret to herself. She's not sure when she intends to tell Jughead, considering it happened years ago, and yet she's still struggling to find the words. There's not really a 'right' time to admit this.

She does find it interesting, though, that Archie's homecoming has nothing to do with getting back together with Veronica. And so, she wonders insistently, why is he back, now of all times? It's not like she spent the whole time, upon finding out about Archie's return, calculating the amount of days, hours and seconds it would be for him to receive the invitation all the way in Maryland. She stopped herself before she could think much of it. Because, even if the dates did align, does it even matter anymore? She's still marrying Jughead.

"Anyway, care to share?" Veronica cuts to the chase quick. "What's the deal with you and Archie?"

"Nothing."

Veronica shoots her a knowing glare. Betty swallows. "Alright. We grew apart, it happens."

She shakes her head, not satisfied. "B, two acquaintances grow apart. But two childhood best friends, who live next door to one another? Something had to have happened. He practically begged me to take him home because he isn't ready to see you."

Betty saddens upon hearing the last part, but at the same time, it infuriates her. "He didn't tell me he was going to the Navy."

Veronica nods, and for a second she thinks their friendship is salvageable. But, Betty keeps on going.

"Then I wrote him a few letters, all to which, he never wrote back. We haven't spoken since," She exhales. It was hard to say out loud, considering she's never told anyone, in Riverdale, before. Not because it's yet another thing she wants to hide, but because she's ashamed for not having noticed. How could she have not seen that one of the most important relationships in her life was falling apart right in front of her? Veronica insists that something happened, but Betty doesn't even know herself. What happened? Had she missed something?

Veronica senses the sudden whirlwind of thoughts circulating through Betty's mind. She decides to not push any further, and so she directs the conversation to herself, talking about her new life in New York, and all the wonderful experience she got living in the busiest city in the country. She fails to mention that she was the one who decided to go to Archie's apartment in Maryland, and how she was the final push that got him back to Riverdale.

When Betty gets back, she finds Jughead waiting for her in the living room. He greets her with a quick kiss, before raving about a wonderful idea he has for an article to be featured in the next issue of the Riverdale Register. With no tragedy or mystery to excite anybody, let alone entertain the paper, riveting stories are hard to come by. But, surely, everybody prefers Riverdale, the town with pep, over Riverdale, the town of murder.

"Have you heard?" Jughead says, but instantly, Betty's aware of what he's talking about.

"Archie's back," She forces a grin and nods. "I just met with Veronica at Pop's, she drove him down."

Jughead stares curiously. "Like, they drove down _together_?"

"No," Betty clarifies. "Thought the exact same thing, but no."

Jughead looks disappointed, at least that's what Betty can read. He seems a bit hesitant to say anything after, as if Archie, everyone's token golden boy, has become the brand new taboo of Riverdale.

"We should go visit him," suggests Jughead, and Betty thinks that's the worst idea he could ever come up with.

She tries to backtrack, unsure how to do so without making it obvious. "I-Is that a good idea?"

"Why not?"

"I just think… if he wants to see us, he'll put in the effort," She exhales, making it clear that what she says is final.

"Woah, Betty—"

"I actually had a really long day, Jug. I'm gonna get changed and head to bed," She kisses him on the cheek goodnight, and she's practically up the stairs in seconds.

She doesn't even wait for Jughead to catch up with her. And, he probably won't for awhile— it's still only seven in the evening. She changes into pajamas and washes up in the bathroom, finally crashing into her bed. Though she mostly just wanted to avoid conversing about Archie, she didn't completely lie. It definitely has been a long day.

Only one day to start possibly one of the most tiring weeks of her life. Despite having gone to bed early, she hardly could get any sleep. It doesn't help that all she could think about is the inevitable reunion she'll have with Archie. How could she possibly convey in words what she needs to him to hear?

And, to make matters worse, she ends up waking up very early in the morning to a phone call. Luckily, Jughead's one of the, if not _the,_ deepest sleeper in existence. She takes the call and paces back and forth her bedroom.

"Hello, can I speak to Elizabeth Cooper?"

"This is she," She says, her voice hoarse still. She clears her throat as the lady speaks.

"Hi Miss Cooper! This is Marie Summers speaking on behalf of Dr. Paul Geronimo. After interviewing a pool of fantastic applicants, we're proud to offer you the internship shadowing forensic studies! Accepting the position would require you to shadow a psychologist and partake in strenuous work at Dr. Geronimo's forensic laboratory, located in Hartford, Connecticut. Is this something you still reside interest in?"

Betty feels her stomach drop, in both joy and excitement as she listens. Of course, she wants to accept in an instant, and then her eyes find Jughead, her fiancée, and she's reminded of the other commitments she's made. Betty's sure he'd understand, but she also doesn't just expect Jughead to either drop everything for her and move to Connecticut, or willingly allow their first years of marriage to be long distance. She sighs.

"Actually, ah.. I'm not one hundred percent sure if the I'll be available for the time commitment and location the internship requires. Would it be okay to inform you of my decision at a later time?"

"Sure thing, Miss Cooper, I'll let Dr. Geronimo know. Please call us to confirm or decline no later than a week from today. Have a good one!"

As the phone call ends, she exhales deeply. Betty notices Jughead tossing and turning in bed but ignores it as she looks across her bedroom window, seeing nothing, nobody. She understands what she needs to do.

If she's gonna have to speak to Archie anyway, then it's best she do it quickly, privately and as much in her control as she possibly can.

So, she carefully tiptoes out of her bedroom to take a shower, and after, to visit the boy next door.

* * *

_four years ago_

Betty quickly rushes into her dorm room, her roommate Jess working tediously at her desk. She wears a face of disgust as Betty walks by, sweaty and smelly from running all over campus. She should be offended, but Betty's actually glad that she's become close enough with Jess to the point that she can trust her to be honest. Even brutally. Betty ignores her as she hurries to look through the pile of mail on her desk, hoping to find a letter from Archie.

"Looked through it already, just a bunch of junk mail. Carls Jr. sent coupons, though," Jess admits from her seat. Betty frowns, a little embarrassed that her scavenging through the mail everyday has become a noticeable habit.

Jess turns her chair to face Betty. "Okay, Betts, no normal college student cares so much about written mail in the time of Yahoo and Gmail. What is it?"

"It's nothing," She sighs, but she contemplates just telling her, getting it out in the world. Because, with still nothing back from Archie, Jughead is the only person actively speaking with her. Sure, Veronica replies to her _How are you?_ messages every once in awhile, but Betty knows a half-assed response when she sees one.

Jess points the pen in her hand against her chin, thinking. "You don't have to tell me. But, if it has anything to do with some sort of Sugar Daddy or a drug deal gone bad-"

"Alright! I'll tell you," Betty interrupts, "It's just, I wrote a letter a couple weeks ago to someone, and he hasn't written back."

"Oh. That's kinda disappointing," She shrugs, but Betty eyes her. "I'm kidding! Who's this guy and why can't you just text him?"

"My best friend Archie. He's training for the Navy."

"Maybe your letter got lost in the mail?"

Betty frowns, a little hesitant to allow herself to hope that that's what happened, not that the boy she's known all her life is actually just ignoring her. "Yeah. I don't know, Jess. It's the second one I sent this month."

"Third time's a charm?" She hands her a blank sheet of paper and pen, and Betty smiles. Just as she goes to take it, Jess snatches it away. "You can write it _after_ you shower. You reek."

Betty rolls her eyes and grabs her towel and clothes. "You're the worst, Jess."

"You love me!" She sings, and then she's back in her own world with ear buds in.

* * *

Archie places the bouquet of lilies he purchased from a local vender into the vase, taking out a half-filled water bottle to refill it. Right after his father's death, Archie would visit the cemetery daily. He recalls how Fred's grave would always be neatly decorated with dozens of fresh flowers, balloons and unlit candles, all of which were gifts. The townspeople loved him. With time, of course, the number of flowers and gifts gradually faded in quantity. But, there was always another bouquet of flowers to match Archie's. A set of baby pink cosmos, straight out of a garden. _Betty's_.

And even now, years down the road, in times where the name Fred Andrews undoubtedly rings of irrelevance in the town of Riverdale, he spots the same bouquet of cosmos, still beautiful and bright, but nearing the flower's eventual stage of withering. He smiles.

Just as he's thinking that Betty's overdue of a visit, he hears footsteps whistle through the grass behind him.

"Figured you be here," says Betty, her voice soothing.

He turns his head to face her, frozen and speechless as he would expect. She carries a bouquet of flowers, and she looks different, a little older now, and yet, there's still something so stunningly beautiful about her to him, beyond just her physical attributes. Her hair is let loose, lying on her shoulders in soft curls, an obvious change from her classic Betty Cooper ponytail. She dresses more maturely, and Archie decides he likes this Betty just as much as the Betty he's known all his life. And, as much as her presence _should_ bother him and leave him uneasy and unable to function properly, he weirdly finds solace in every step she takes closer, finds comfort in her familiar gaze, feels warmth in the silence among them. He instantly forgets all the pain of having not seen her and rather, relishes in being with her now, and from the way she rushes to hug him, a choked laugh escaping her lips, he figures she must feel the same too.

Neither of them speak for awhile. Betty squeezes him tighter before deciding to let go first. He breathes deeply, admittedly, a bit disappointed, but he takes a step back, as it's become glaringly obvious that the splendid reunion that just happened between Betty and Archie, two childhood best friends, isn't carrying on into the next conversation. Now, they're each just Betty and Archie, two people destined by nature to just grow apart.

But even then, neither can remember at what exact moment that happened.

Betty takes a deep breathe before speaking. "What are you doing here, Arch?"

His eyes circle around the dazzling diamond ring on her finger, different from the last one. He frowns. "To be honest, Betty. I don't know anymore."

And again, silence. He feels her staring right at him, and so he looks away, still feeling obligated to say something, anything.

"You look.. good," He mutters, still looking away. "Happy."

"Yeah, I am. Jughead's great," She says, and Archie wonders if she knows how it hurts him.

Betty thrives at his inability to look her in the eye, mostly because it gives her a sense of validation. As though he _too_ were battling with the guilt and uncertainty of what led to the downfall of their friendship, and it made her feel like maybe, she wasn't completely pathetic in hoping to see him again, to fix things. Plus, his fixated gaze on the grass gives her a chance to _truly_ look at him. Here before her stands the redhead boy she's known all her life, who has now become a man, sporting a beard of little ginger scruff, wearing out the baby wrinkles on his forehead. He is even more handsome than she remembers, a lot more rugged, and had it not been for his haircut, he would be the literal embodiment of a modern-day Hercules. The only familiar imperfection is the scar in between his eyebrows, which even that, she's come to love.

Archie finally looks to her, his dark brown eyes sincere as he says his next words. "I'm sorry."

She feels her throat start burning, her eyelashes watering, and with a cough, tears stream freely down her face. Still, she begs through a frown, forcing herself to be strong, "I'm not mad.. Archie. I'm not mad. Why didn't you just.. talk to me?"

_Because you don't love me_ , he wants to say. But he doesn't.

"I was ashamed. I was being selfish. I-I didn't know what to do, Betty. I'm sorry," He's on the verge of tears too, but he sucks it up. She doesn't deserve to see him like this.

"Archie, it's..," She licks her lips before continuing, wiping away her tears. "I just, I need- I _want_ to know. Why now?"

He swallows. "You know why, Betty."

Betty nods her head, reminiscent of her reaction to when Archie rejected her the night of the dance, leaving her flowers before taking off. No goodbye whatsoever. At least now, he knows what it feels like.

Before taking off to the Navy, he imagined a thousand ways of how it would be seeing her again, and not once did he ever imagine it to be so short and sour.


	5. Chapter 5

The second she steps into the mall, her mom already going on and on about old memories, Betty wishes she had not given into her mother's persistent begs to go dress shopping. Betty just doesn't understand how her mother could be so emotionally thrilled about all of this, when _she_ herself can't even really feel the expected turmoil of the ' _oh!'_ excitement and ' _ah!'_ anticipation that every bride-to-be probably should feel. And, if anyone should be upset about her early elopement, it would be Alice, the overprotective, borderline psychotic mother Betty's known her entire life, but _nope_ \- she's just as delighted as birds chirping on a Spring morning. It irritates her, to say the least.

But had she not succumbed to her mother's pleas, Jughead surely would have forced her to join in on his Pop's date with Archie. She thought of the best excuse right on the spot, knowing that if it somehow involved the wedding, Jughead couldn't question it. Definitely not her best plan to date, but she couldn't just straight up tell him that she already saw Archie. It would be suspicious, wouldn't it? Especially now that Betty knows exactly the reason why Archie came back.

And so, the long dreaded idea of dress shopping with her mother suddenly became a golden one, at least it did in that moment. Aware of just how much a nuisance her mother could be sometimes, she begged Kevin and Veronica to come along the entire night before, until they finally agreed. Her mom isn't exactly happy about that, considering her dislike for the Lodges and basically every single person who Betty wants in her life. Besides Jughead of course. And that's probably only because she's sleeping with FP, a thought of which Betty likes to hide in the very dark pits of her mind for the sake of her sanity.

Betty has actually been considering asking Veronica to be her maid of honor, but she's still unsure if she'd even feel comfortable doing that. Sure, they are friends again and all, but Betty wonders if Veronica secretly resides some anger towards her. At the end of the day, she _is_ still responsible for ruining possibly the best thing to ever happen to Veronica. She's also a little concerned that Archie, her longest friend, would be a bit hurt that she chose Veronica and not him. If she's being completely honest, Betty always imagined Archie to play some sort of significant role in her wedding, and sure, all her childhood fantasies would paint him to be the groom, but with that not being the case, she figures Archie at least deserves second best, that being maid, or in his case, _man,_ of honor.

Then again, if he cared at all, he would still be in her life. But, Archie shouldn't be an issue anymore. They haven't spoken since they met in the cemetery, and she's positive he'll probably leave for Maryland by the end of the week. Betty just wants to focus on everything else apart from him.

Alice hurriedly runs up to Betty, carrying yet another huge, poofy dress, white as snow, before her. "How about this one, sweetie?"

"Mom, you've shown me like every single dress you come across in my size! Just.. tone it down a notch."

"Elizabeth, I am not sorry for being excited while shopping for my daughter's wedding dress. This is an important milestone in every mother's life," says Alice, softly. "And thanks to your god sent sister, it's coming _after_ baby clothes, which messes up the entire timeline-"

Betty scolds her. " _Mom_."

"Alright, but you're trying this one on. _Oh_! Look at this one..."

Betty sighs, exhausted. She watches the time impatiently, praying for her friends to arrive any time soon. Now that she's actually inside, surrounded by what seems like millions of wedding dresses, some glittery, some simple, some far too long and some far too short, Betty realizes she has no clue where to start. Her wedding day is the most important day of her life, at least that's what her mom insists. What is she _supposed_ to wear to that?

At that moment, Veronica and Kevin walk in, looking a lot like this is more their expertise than it is Betty's. She exhales, relieved.

"I am _so_ glad you're both here," She runs to meet them both, giving each a hug as she sighs a breath of relief.

* * *

Archie waits nervously at the booth, downing three cups of water before Jughead's arrival. He came early, in hopes to soften whatever unearthly response Jughead will have upon seeing him the first time in awhile. A single punch to the face should seal the deal, and while Jughead isn't one to turn to violence, Archie's sure the passionate make-out session and the secret bunker affair he had with Betty will do a lot more damage to their friendship more than the so-and-so Black Hood-prompted kiss. He doesn't blame Jughead if he hates him.

He hears the jingle of the bell, then sees Jughead walking in, sans the beanie crown he once wore everyday. The sight amazes Archie, who stands to greet his old friend in high spirit.

"Jug! Good to see you," He gives him a hug, and from the looks of the smile on his face, Jughead doesn't seem angry. _At all_. A little awkward, sure. But Archie senses little to no sign of resentment. Maybe it's because of all the time that's passed. Or, perhaps it's because, at the end of the day, _he_ is still the one that Betty loves, still the one that Betty chose.

"Hey, stranger," Jughead offers a teethy grin. "Can't say I didn't miss seeing your red hair."

Archie chuckles softly. "Yeah, sorry man, I should have come back to visit over the years."

"That's alright. Did you order?"

He nods. "I hope you still prefer a chocolate milkshake and can devour three cheeseburgers."

"Aw shucks, chivalry isn't dead after all," says Jughead, then teasingly, "Ever think it was meant to be me and you getting married?"

Jughead looks him dead in the eye, as if he expected to trigger some sort of reaction from him. Archie swallows, so maybe Jughead _does_ know, and he's definitely shading him for the timing of his return. The air becomes thick with tension, and fortunately, a waiter comes by to drop their food off, giving Archie enough time to recover mentally from Jughead's obvious disdain. Jughead refocuses his energy on his food, and Archie laughs it off.

"Oh, shut up, Jughead," Archie scoffs, smiling half-heartedly.

"In all seriousness, what brings you back?"

"Honestly, just a really long overdue visit. My mom has been bugging me to come see her, then one day, I get a spontaneous visit from Veronica. And, with her impeccable persuasive skills, she convinced me to come down to Riverdale with her."

He _definitely_ practiced that reasoning millions of times before agreeing to hang out with Jughead.

"Ah, the classic Lodge seduction," He replies, and despite Betty having already told him Archie and Veronica are just friends, he still asks. "Are you two back together?"

"No. Might be hard to believe, but we're actually just friends," Archie looks away, embarrassed.

He takes a bite out of one of his burgers, nodding. "Oh, I imagine you two will find your way back to one another, somehow."

Archie cringes. He wants to say that not every relationship is a Betty and Jughead, an unconditional, no-matter-what, _not even cheating can ruin us,_ type of love, but he refrains. He knows he won't get anything out of it. He instead tries to change the focus of the conversation. "Actually, I met someone else back home. Her name is Marci."

"Aw. Is she, what, _the one_?"

"To be honest, I couldn't tell you. I guess, I can't really tell if what we have is comparable to what Betty.. and y-you share."

Jughead shrugs, innocently, unbeknownst to Archie. "Oh c'mon, Archie. You know Betty and I aren't perfect."

Guilt instantly strikes, and he can't wipe the thought of Jughead always holding this against him if he chooses to act like it never happened. And he decides, the best thing he could do is just be forthright and apologize.

"Yeah, Jughead about that. Um, I'm sorry, for what I did, honestly."

Jughead looks at him, either puzzled or expectant. It wouldn't surprise him if it were the ladder, since it is like Jughead to want him to suffer from speaking his mistakes aloud. Archie figures he should just go on. "Uh, w-what happened with me and Betty, it was clearly a mistake."

Jughead halts from his chewing, his burger falling to the platter, bouncing off against the french fries. His stomach swirls, gradually escalating in every thought rampaging his mind, and then's he's officially lost his appetite. Archie suddenly feels the walls closing in, anxiously waiting for an answer. Instead, he's met with Jughead's eyes darkening as he glares at him.

"What happened between you and Betty?" Jughead demands, his eyebrows scrunched together. Though, shock ceases to exist, since it's like a part of him has always known. A tiny inkling feeding his undying insecurity about how no matter what he offered, he could _never_ measure up to the damned inseparable friendship between the woman he loves and the boy next door.

Archie doesn't know how to answer. He swears that Betty told him, she _must_ have. At least, that's what she told him. He feels a combination of guilt and discomfort wrapped in one as he tries to backtrack from what he just confessed.

" _Jughead, wait_ -"

He loudly interrupts, standing from his seat, gaining the attention from everybody else in the diner. "Let me guess, Archie. You're sorry, and it didn't mean anything?"

Archie takes a breathe, his eyes finding the ground. The words about to be spoken, taken right out of his mouth, though not all of it was necessarily what he truly thought. Jughead stifles a laugh.

"Fuck you," He curses pointedly. And he's out of the restaurant, driving away on his motorcycle, leaving Archie to collect nothing but the leftover fuming smoke.

* * *

By the time they finish scavenging the sixth bridal shop, and still empty-handed, Betty decides to give it a rest. Truthfully, she came to the mall with low hopes and she honestly didn't expect to just instantly find her wedding dress the first day out shopping. Though, she expected the problem to be more a classic case of indecisiveness, a simple case of trouble choosing this or that- but, throughout the day, Betty realized that she has absolutely no inner longing whatsoever, that is pushing her towards a certain design, a certain vail, a certain shade of white, even. She's just not in that mindset yet, even though she certainly should be.

She exhales, a bit embarrassed that she wasted a perfectly good day for them all. Her mom, luckily, is still inside, scanning the racks as though she'll spot the exact dress perfect for her in the last thirty minutes, but, now she at least has privacy with her friends, away from her mother.

"Well, you both can make fun of me. I'm engaged but still can't even commit to a dress," Betty stifles a laugh.

"Okay, look, Betty," Kevin insists, trying to ease her concern. "It just means you have yet to experience your bridal moment. Found in every iconic wedding romcom set in the mid-2000s, two of which star Katherine Heigl."

"So, what, Kev, you're telling me the reason I can't find a dress is because I haven't gone through some sort of _bridal_ moment?"

"Yeah, Betty, think about it. One moment you're contemplating every single decision you've made in your life, you're worrying that you forgot to invite your old Uncle Gerald, you're thinking that you look hideous in every single dress you try on, and then, all of a sudden, voila. _The_ dress slips on like a perfect fit. You start sobbing, happy tears of course, and your shoulders and life's problems feel light as a feather! You think of Jughead, you think of your mom, me, Veronica, Archie... _That's_ your bridal moment."

As corny and theatric Kevin can be sometimes, Betty relaxes as she imagines every single detail he illustrates. She never took herself as a sucker or a hopeless romantic, but like any nervous fiancee, she would very well like for it all to be true. Just to experience a moment in which everything seems easy, where everybody she loves is happy, where _she_ can be happy.

"Yeah, I guess I haven't experienced it yet," She sighs, whispering under her breath. "Maybe that's it."

"Mm, there's that, and well, I just don't think-" He starts, but Veronica elbows him in the gut before he can continue.

Sensing Kevin digging himself a hole in risky territory, Veronica quickly intervenes. "Don't listen to him, B! You have plenty of more days before the wedding to find _the_ perfect dress. Okay? So, let's call it a day. I know a really good place uptown where we can eat dinner."

But, Betty practically ignores her, as she eyes them both suspiciously. "What is it, Kev? You don't think...?"

"Well, no offense, I just don't think you're ready," replies Kevin, surprising Betty. Sure, she's not exactly a firm believer that she's as ready for this as she wants to be. But it's different when it's coming from an outsider. If she remembers correctly, he was one amongst everyone else, cheering and applauding as she uttered the single _yes_ that would change her whole life.

Before she can answer, say anything at all, Kevin clarifies, "I just think you have a couple dozen more good years before you reach sexy cougar status. To be fair, that part might just be me. I mean, to be tied down so young?"

"Geez, Kev! You sound like Cheryl," Betty swallows. She turns to a notably quiet Veronica. "V?"

Veronica looks to her, noticing her eyes practically begging for answers, and so she decides to respond honestly. "Well, my advice, B? I would say to think it through, completely and repeatedly. At the same time, I know you're not a buffoon nor a teenage boy, B. You're smart and capable of making the right choice. And even though I do think you and Jughead are crazy for tying the knot so young, I also _don't_ have that kind of relationship with anyone. Somehow, you two have defied every single unfavorable odd in this town. It's up to you to decide what you want."

Betty lets out a small smile. "You're right. Thank you, V, and thank you Kev, for wasting your entire day, just to be here to support me. I appreciate you guys. And V, we can head to that dinner place uptown you mentioned. My treat. Let me just get my Mom, and hopefully she'll insist on going home."

She leaves them to find Alice still walking around aimlessly through the store despite it closing in half an hour. Her mother is on the brink of an argument with a worker, who's apologizing frantically as Alice lectures her for god knows what.

"Oh, hi, Betty. I was just leaving," She purposefully shoots a glare at the helpless employee as Betty follows her out the store. When they're out in the clear, Alice asks her, appalled. "Can you believe she threatened to call security on me?"

 _Yes,_ Betty would like to say. She decides not to answer. "Ridiculous. Oh, yeah, Mom.. can I go take Kev and Veronica out for dinner?"

She cannot believe she has to ask for permission at 21 years of age. But, she also knows she's asking more that Alice gets the hint and goes home without her. Her mother's prolonged silence worries Betty, and she can already sense her coming up with a never-ending lecture.

"Hmm, even after spending all day helping her, my own daughter still doesn't want to eat a meal with me- _-_ "

At that moment, Veronica cuts in rudely, a sense of urgency peaking through as she hands Betty her cell phone. "Betty, it's for you."

Alice rolls her eyes, looking through her bags for her car keys.

"W-Who is it?" Betty whispers to Veronica away from the phone. Then, she hears his voice.

"Hey, uh, it's Archie. You need to come home. I accidentally… Something happened."

"L-Look, Arch. I'm kinda busy right now-"

" _Please, Betty_... Code Fred."

Betty feels her heart crackle upon hearing him say it. They haven't spoken in their ancient language of code and inside jokes since elementary school, which just seems like forever ago now. And it especially hurts to hear with his father gone.

 _Code Fred_ is amongst a long list of many other codewords Betty and Archie would practically memorize and communicate in secret when they were kids. Betty can still remember a majority at the top of her head. There's Code Vegas, sneak Vegas upstairs. There's the definitely more rule-oriented Code Cooties-no holding hands with other people because that would spread cooties when they would hold hands- which conveniently came right after Cheryl pushed Betty away to take Archie's hand at recess. Though, they weren't all extremely fun and creative. Some were pretty self-explanatory. Code Homework, Code Bedroom Window- which, again, in retrospect, probably wasn't their brightest idea, considering in order to even say it would require already being at their respective bedroom window. And then, there's Code Fred, which took in place of Code Red, initially signaling the imminent danger of Fred stopping by after work to pick Archie up from Betty's house. But, over time, it sort of became a general code of all bad things. When Betty scraped her knees from rollerblading, it was a Code Fred. When Cheryl kissed Archie, it was a Code Fred (and a little bit of Code Cooties). And, now, whatever it is that Archie deems so urgent, is a Code Fred.

"What is it?"

"It's Jughead, Betty. He knows."

She hands the phone back to Veronica, apologizing to them all for her abrupt departure as she snatches the keys dangling from her mom's fingers, leaving Alice there in a hurry. She grabs her phone, regretting that she listened to Kevin earlier when he insisted she put it on vibrate. Her eyes quickly scan over a dozen missed calls, but only a couple text messages from Jughead. She decides not to open them. What needs to be said must be done so in person.

Betty finally arrives in her neighborhood, frantically undecided in whether she should storm straight into her home to face an undoubtedly, angry Jughead, or talk to the cooler-headed boy next door. As if to answer for her, Archie is waiting at his porch, already halfway across his lawn as he sees her car parked.

"Betty, I'm sorry," He starts.

"Please, just tell me, what happened?"

"We were just catching up, and it came up, and honestly, it just felt like he knew. So naturally I just apologized, not even thinking about how confused and angry he would be. I.. I just assumed that he knew."

"Well he didn't," Betty exasperates. She can't even be angry with him. It's all her fault. She had ample chance to confess and come clean prior to getting engaged, and she didn't take it. She moves towards her house, implying the end of their short-lived conversation, but he stops her again.

"Wait, Betty. I know me coming back now, for obvious reasons it's just.. I know it looks bad, okay. But, I swear I wasn't trying to come between you two."

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't mean to." It comes off a bit harsher than she intends.

"You said that you couldn't marry him if he didn't know," He spits out.

She's taken aback, initially puzzled. "What? When did I...?"

It takes her a few moments to process what his confession entails. Not long after, her lips part open and she's marching towards him.

"You read my letters?" She asks, hurt and perplexed. Archie maintains a look away from her face, angry at himself for opening up a poorly shut wound in a time he knows to be already so stressful for Betty.

Then, the palm of her hand coldly slams and echoes off his cheek as she slaps him across the face. She's a little surprised she actually had mustered enough strength to do that, knowing she wouldn't feel much pleasure from it. His face falls downwards, eyes focused away from her face, as Betty shouts through an overwhelm of fresh tears and snot sniffles.

"You read my letters and didn't write back to me?" Betty repeats, incredulously. He can hear the pent up, gut-wrenching pain in her voice, and then, he sees it. He finally sees how selfish he had been for isolating himself solely because Betty didn't love him back.

"Betty, look. I-"

" _No,_ " Betty shoves his shoulders, her strength crumbling as tears stream down her face, her lips quivering in a permanent frown. The push barely moves him a step or two back, even as he puts up no fight. "No! You can't just come back and apologize. You don't get to do that."

He swallows, to dampen his dry throat. All the tears he's holding back sting. "Betty, I am _so_ sorry for not writing back-"

"It's more than just those stupid letters! Don't you get that? Do you understand how much I missed you, Archie? I spent every holiday, every summer break, waiting to see you. And when you never showed up, I kept on lying and telling myself it was for some protocol as part of the Navy. I kept telling myself that Archie Andrews, the golden boy of Riverdale, the boy who saved Cheryl Blossom from drowning in the river, the one person I feel the most safest with... could never just leave. Not like that. But that's exactly what you did."

Her voice breaks, eyes cloudy, a striking pain in her chest, filled with anger and anguish all wrapped in one. It takes everything left in her to speak the next words. "You gave up on everybody you loved, the town you loved.. you gave up on _me_."

She turns to leave, eyes still drenched in tears, but Archie's disheartening voice turns her around. He refrains from his first instincts to just let her walk away, because deep down, he knows he needs to be honest and confront how he truly feels, no matter how much he cares about how it affects Betty. Whether it be pain, dilemma or just cold-hearted anger. At the end of the day, he's here to confront the truth.

"Betty, I would never give up on you. Why do you think I'm here?"

She looks at him, teary eyes, her voice sad as she asks, "Why are you here, Archie?"

"Because I love you, Betty," He whimpers, voice choked up. "And you're marrying Jughead, so I need to let you go."

"Stop, Arch," She begins to shake her head. "You don't actually.."

"Betty, come on. You can't keep dictating how I feel. I'm sorry that I ran away, and I'm sorry for never writing you back," Archie says sincerely. "I'm so sorry for everything, Betty. I am. But, this is exactly why I couldn't say goodbye to you, this is exactly why I had to confess every single thing I've felt for you through a letter."

Betty shuts her eyes tightly, confused. Tears escaping. Absolutely, one hundred percent speechless. Bombarded with revelations she didn't know even existed. She didn't read nor receive any letter of his, she didn't know he loved her. "W-What are you.. What are you talking about?"

He continues, his voice calmer than before, yet still full of sorrow and regret. "That night in the bunker, I was.. I was gonna tell you. But you stopped me, insisted I loved somebody else. That was the same night that I decided to submit my registration to the Navy. Because I knew, if you weren't in my future.. then nothing could keep me here. Not even Veronica. I accepted that, so when I wrote you that letter, I wasn't expecting anything in return, I just thought you should know. And then you got engaged to Jughead, and.. it all became even more real. I lost you forever, and I couldn't bring myself to ever come back."

"Arch.. why are you telling me this?" She blinks and a tear falls.

"Like I said. I need to let you go," He confesses, and before she can run off, Archie decides it best for him to go first. He walks off solemnly, hiding away in his old home without turning around, not even for a second. All the while, Betty just watches, standing in between their homes, barely capable of making it back home.

Still recovering, Betty takes a seat on her couch the moment she walks into her home. She spots Jughead's engagement ring on the counter, his worn out shoes lying before the stairway. She contemplates racing up the stairs so soon, or if she should give both him and herself some time. She feels so numb and drained after talking to Archie, still so perplexed, and thinking of it all causes her to erupt in tears, her face already in her hands. She sits there, sobbing to herself, trying to keep the volume of her weeping to a minimum, until his coarse voice startles her from behind.

"So I was right," He demands, emotion and tears completely absent from his face, as though someone came and vacuumed away all of his feelings, all of them besides anger. "When I said you were just _slumming it with me until Archie changed his mind_ -"

She stands to face him.

"Jug, I'm sorry," She absent-mindedly whimpers, pleading for him to relax. She wants so badly to be strong around him right now, but she just can't speak without breaking down. "I-I promise that isn't true at all."

She tries to grab his face, to hold him close, to stop the argument from elevating as often as they would before. But he pulls away, shaking his head.

"Please, Betty, tell me what's real and what's not. Because I was ready to swear the rest of my life to you, and it feels like I don't even know you anymore," He speaks coldly, unwilling to feel any sort of sympathy towards her. _She_ hurt _him_.

She swallows, wiping the endless river of tears away as she explains. "Archie and I.. it happened in high school, the week of the variety show, during rehearsal. We kissed and met up a couple times, but-"

"Did you fuck him?" Jughead yells pointedly, as though he already knew the answer. Betty can feel the anger heightening in his voice, and she hates it.

"No. God, Jughead, it wasn't like that," She softens, rubbing her face, desperate to rid the overwhelming pain washing over her.

"Well, oh, that's my bad. _I'm_ sorry for thinking the worst. Not like my fiancee had a whole affair with my best friend behind my back, keeping it a secret for a handful of years."

"I'm sorry, Jughead. It was so long ago.. and I love you. I don't know what else to say."

He pauses, taking a breathe, more level-headed compared to before. His anger still evident. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I was going to when I got back from Yale, but then you proposed to me and- and I couldn't break it to you."

"For four years, Betts? You were willing to let me kiss your _tainted_ lips, you were willing to let me be with you.. _marry_ you even, without even letting me know the truth?" He scoffs, clearly disgusted, shaming her brutally on end. "I thought we were stronger than that."

"We are, Jughead. It was a stupid mistake. Please, just give me one more chance..."

"Do you love him, Betty?" He questions, releasing a breathe. "Do you love Archie?"

Her tears dry, and her vision readjusts more clearly. She momentarily looks away before answering.

"Of course I do, Jug, he's my best friend... or he was, and that still means something. But it's you I love. I chose you for a reason," says Betty, finally getting a hold of his face without him pulling away.

She sees him manage a ghost of a smile. He looks away, and for a second she swears he's gonna break up with her. Betty squeezes his hand tightly, unwilling to let go. "Jug, I'm sorry.."

Jughead looks at her, his light eyes dark and round, begging, almost. He asks, without hesitation. "If the wedding were tomorrow, would you marry me?"

Her mind naturally drifts to her mother's words a few days prior. _It all means nothing without the bride._ Then, Kevin's words. _I just don't think you're ready._ Veronica's. _Think it through, completely and repeatedly._ And finally, Archie's words, words she's never heard spoken aloud until tonight. _Because I love you, Betty._ She has all the words she needs to make her decision. And yet, she refuses them.

"Of course I would," She answers quickly, clearing her thoughts. Because her relationship with Jughead is full of certainty, and only certainty, never any confusion nor doubt. And if this is what she must do to earn back his trust, she'd do it in a heart beat.

Jughead brings her face closer to his, a smile suddenly apparent on his face. "Marry me tomorrow."

"Okay. Let's do it," She hides her face in his chest, as they stand in a tight embrace. A whirlwind tsunami of fear overwhelming her.


	6. Chapter 6

_This is exactly why I had to confess every single thing I've felt for you through a letter._

The words haunt her in her sleep, to the point that she wakes up in a sweat in the middle of the night. She's wrapped tightly in Jughead's arms, who is now fast asleep, and so she decides to just lie there, staring at the ceiling. Thinking of the night's crazy confessions and obscure occurrences. She had so many questions, too many. Could something have actually gone wrong at the post office? Was her carrying this spite against Archie worth it at all? Perhaps fate designed that the letter Archie wrote her _needed_ to be lost and never read. Perhaps that alone is a serendipitous moment, telling her to shake the thought and get a good night's rest before her wedding day.

_Because I love you, Betty._

And then, there's that sentence, the epic love confession that sophomore year Betty Cooper would have died to hear. If only. If only her love life and feelings for Archie were as simple and picture-perfect as she assumed they would be when she was in high school. But, she's only really been with one person, and yet somehow, it's only gotten more and more complicated. That even as she lies here, in the arms of her fiancee, she can't help but enjoy the familiar rush of butterflies in her stomach at the thought of Archie Andrews loving her. _Really_ loving her. The idea of it and all it entails helps her fall back asleep.

In the morning, she wakes up to a gentle pattering noise, her eyes still weary and mind disoriented from her deep slumber. She reaches out her hand, feeling nothing but cold sheets beside her. Confused, Betty finally sits up, looking around, and still Jughead's nowhere to be found.

"Jug?" She squints, a sense of worry slowly heightening. Last night was chaotic to say the absolute least, and even though it ended up only reinforcing their promise of marriage, she still can't help but worry that Jughead still feels the need to give Archie a piece of his mind.

She repeats his name, now standing up to examine the undeniable amount of clutter lying on her bedroom floor. Except, it doesn't seem like it was thrown around, but rather, placed away neatly like a stack of folded clothes. She opens her door, making her way down to his bedroom. He sits there, flushed, forehead dampened with drops of sweat. _Tears,_ maybe. A mess of his books and papers and all sorts of clutter sit besides him.

"Hey, Jug, w-what's up?" She asks nervously.

"Betty," Jughead nearly exclaims, clearly caught off guard. He subtly frees his attention from the mess around him. "It's, uh, nothing, I was just looking for something."

"Do you need any help?" Betty asks, her eyes finally free of any weariness as it adjusts to the morning glow.

"No, no, it's fine," He stands up, dusting off his pajama pants. "I actually, think we should talk to your mom, about what was said last night."

"Right," Her gaze falls flat. "Jug, I know I said that I'm all in, but... but if _you_ are having any second thoughts-"

"Hey, I meant everything I said, Betty," Jughead takes her hand in his, leaving a soft kiss against her knuckles. "We just need to sort out a few things. Let's start first with your mother."

She smiles shortly, but she already knows how much her mother will give them a difficult time.

And, just as Betty predicted, the idea is shut down at breakfast, quicker before either of them could even blink.

"Betty and I, we want to get married... tonight," Jughead suggests, as he nervously taps his knee away beneath the dining table. He sits besides Betty, hands intertwined, to show some sort of solidarity. To show that they are indeed ready to be together for the rest of their lives.

Alice stifles an indifferent laugh, focusing her gaze on her scrambled eggs. "Now, Jughead, I know that's a joke, because Betty and I have discussed her wedding ever since she was just a little girl. She knows better than to waste away a day- a day that should really only happen _once_ in a young woman's life- just to get hitched over some whimsical, impulsive overnight decision."

The cutlery scratches against the fine white china, and instantly, Jughead stares at Betty timidly, forcing her to quickly step in. "Mom, actually... Jughead.. he's being serious. And, I know it seems silly, but before you start to say anything-"

"No. Absolutely not, Elizabeth!" The loudness of her voice startles them both, and Betty exchanges a tough and tense look with her mother. And despite leaving Betty speechless, Alice continues, "I will _not_ allow you two to just marry tonight for absolutely no good reason. That's final."

It's silent, for awhile, and Betty can't face Jughead or her mother. She instead focuses her attention on anything else; the racing heartbeat in her chest, the uneven placement of the floor's marble tiles, the way her fingernails sink into the palm on her hands- a habit she has grown out of, until, well, this very moment. She forces herself to gather strength, to step up to her mother, to fight for the man she so-badly loves and wants to be with. But when she faces her, she can feel her mother's eyes pierce into the depths of her very soul, as if she can read what she's thinking.

"Mom.. Okay, fine _,"_ replies Betty, unable to put up a battle. Maybe her mother is right, anyway. What reason to marry tonight, other than to reinstate her love for Jughead that was very much there, anyway? Perhaps agreeing to marry Jughead the next day after a raging argument wasn't necessarily the smartest decision to make. Especially when that raging argument was about a matter that would probably push other couples away rather than unite them.

The room echoes with silence, for awhile, and Betty wishes FP or anyone, really, was here to crack the tension. And then, she senses Jughead about to speak, and she thinks he's about to fix it, apologize even, just let it go, but then she catches a glimpse into his eyes- which are now sparkling, as though he just thought of the most _perfect_ idea. She swallows nervously.

"With all due respect, Mrs. C, Betty isn't the same young girl who spends her free time fantasizing about her wedding day. She's all grown up, and... I think if she says she wants to marry me tonight, you should let her. Isn't that plenty reason enough?"

"It isn't about being ready, Jughead. You can't possibly begin to know what it's like to be a mother! Betty doesn't even have a dress, a caterer, a cake— which are all only _among_ the so many other necessary things that a bride should have the morning of her wedding! So, I'm sorry, tonight is just far too soon. I won't allow it."

"So, no wedding tonight," Jughead nods, but still, doesn't budge. "But, how about we compromise to this weekend? Rescheduling everything will be a whole lot easier, albeit a little more pricey, but we can sacrifice a few guests," He looks at Betty for approval, then shrugs as he whispers, "I think I can handle Reggie Mantle absent from my wedding."

Alice's gaze shifts towards her daughter, a part of her just, curious. Of what could have possibly gotten into her daughter's head. The same daughter of hers who couldn't even look at wedding gown without becoming nauseous. Was it just to avoid the whole hassle of planning a wedding? Or was it some stupid impulsive decision meant to solidify a breaking bridge? Alice can't help but think of Hal, and how she wanted to just get the wedding over with. But then, she reminds herself, Betty is different. And Betty and Jughead, they're lucky. They're lucky enough to have the support of their parent. At least until this very moment. But still, that's more than young Alice could've said. She exhales deeply, feeling as if she's making a huge mistake, but she goes on anyway.

"If you both can make everything happen smoothly, the venue, the date, the cake, the bridal party and whatnot, before this weekend. And if this is what you _really_ want," She pauses, brushing a blonde stroke behind her ear, looking straight into her daughter's eyes. "Then, so be it. But still, speak to your father, Jughead."

Alice walks out of the kitchen, her footsteps trailing up the stairs. Her mother hardly ever hears Betty out, so she must admit, it stings to see her soften up because maybe what Jughead said was convincing enough to awaken some sympathy inside her. The betrayal feels thick, it feels heavy. She's so wrapped up with her anger towards her mother, she almost forgets to celebrate with Jughead.

* * *

Archie sits up from his bed, sliding on a clean navy blue shirt over his torso, his eyes flowing through his bedroom window, across to Betty's. He tells himself he didn't intentionally look, that his eyes naturally found itself wherever it wished. And suddenly he's ripping Betty's top off, landing gentle kisses against her smooth-skinned neck as her soft, elegant moan ringing in his ears proves to be enough to easily excite his erection. He can barely make out the color of her bra, as he unhooks and throws it across the room, all the while she's discarding every garment of his in sight. She pulls away from their perfectly intertwined lips, perched on his lap, as her hand slowly trails down from his moist chest to the log-shaped bulge imprinted in his boxers.

"What about Jughead?" He asks, breathlessly. He always envisioned their first time as a sweet and tender moment of built up longing and passion, but never did he imagine it to unfold as a biblical sin. Until now.

Her eyes glow in the reflection of a lamplight, slowly leaning in towards his face as she presses a kiss against him. "It's always been _you_ , Arch."

And for a second, it's just Betty repeating his name, over and over again. _Arch. Arch._

"Archie?" A much different voice says, followed by a knock, and then he opens his eyes.

He wakes up from his daydream, and to his dismay, his little friend of his is very much awake as well. He embarrassingly blushes, trying to diffuse the matter in his boxers prior to turning around.

"Give me a second, I'll be right up!" He finds a pair of jeans pants lying around, fumbling the thing, desperately trying to think his way out of his unholy situation.

"Archie, I don't have all day," She says again, and he realizes who the voice belongs too.

He turns around, embarrassment dissipating in thin air. The matter in his pants doing the same. " _Veronica?_ Seriously?"

"Yes, it's obviously me. Now, can I come in?"

"What are you doing here?" He nervously waits before opening the door. He's not exactly proud to tell her that yeah, he confessed to Betty, but it didn't turn out as he wished.

"I'm assuming something happened last night." But, she seems certain. Not like she's assuming at all.

"How do you know?" He exhales, finally letting her in.

"Well, for starters, it's half past noon, and you're just now getting up," She raises her eyebrows judgingly.

Archie rolls his eyes, sighing. "You had to fit that in, didn't you?"

"Fine. It's obvious. After your phone call, Betty rushed out of the mall yesterday, and I figured it couldn't be just a coincidence," She goes on, "And, the text message I got this morning, it just confirmed my suspicions."

"So if Betty told you, then what are you here for? I promise I feel stupid enough."

"I'm here for two things. An explanation, and... well, to offer my compassion, Archiekins," She says, and he doesn't even want to think of how she knows.

"It's simple. I told her, I just said it, the first time out loud," He stifles a laugh, a shallow attempt at hiding how he's really feeling. "But, I'm fine, Ronnie."

"Yeah," She whispers kindly, but still unconvinced, "But, if you weren't-"

"Seriously, I'm fine. Honestly, I'm more worried that Betty isn't, you know? I can't imagine how difficult all of this is for her to deal with. I _need_ to talk to Jughead, tell him it was my fault. I just hope he didn't take it out on her."

"Archie..." Veronica starts, slowly. Her face completely confused, until she catches on to Archie's obliviousness. "Have you spoken to Betty since last night?"

"Not yet. Why? Is she alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. But you... haven't heard anything? Regarding the wedding?"

"Ronnie, what are you talking about?"

"They moved up the wedding to this weekend. The text I got was Betty asking me to be her maid of honor."

"Oh," Archie feels his heart drop, and his gaze falls, solemnly. It's silent for awhile.

Veronica nears him, offering a hand out for comfort. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," He smiles, sadly. "Her hearing it and knowing it, it's enough. I mean, it's not like I expected her to just walk away from Jughead."

" _Archie-_ "

"Actually, Veronica, I-I should probably get packing," He says, voice monotone. "I'm gonna try and catch an early flight tomorrow."

"Of course," She steps outside his bedroom, even though she thinks he's making his life miserable staying in Maryland, she refrains from saying anything, and decides it's best to let him do what he needs to do for himself. "I should go, uh, head next door. I'll see you around, Archiekins."

Veronica leaves, disappearing down the stairs, but Archie's too dazed to be courteous and walk her out. He instead lands his fist through the dusty old punching bag hanging from the ceiling. He winces, pained, but the punch doesn't compare to the cold, throbbing agony that's made his entire being numb.

He plops back onto his bed, tears helplessly making it's way out, and he tries to hide his sniffles in hopes nobody will hear. But it isn't long until he hears Veronica calling for him downstairs. "Archie! There's someone here for you."

Archie quickly wipes away his tears with his pillow, trying to swallow the lump in his throat away. Then, he reluctantly gets up and follows Veronica down. His stomach does a million different kinds of somersaults as he sees a familiar blonde beauty standing at his front door, wearing just the grandest smile. She crashes into his chest, before he can even finish saying her name.

" _Marci_."

* * *

"Just got off the phone with Tall Boy, he'd make it a total of four groomsmen for this weekend," Jughead says, as he places the phone down onto the table. He squeezes Betty's hand, tightly, and she smiles.

"Oh, I have five; Kevin, Veronica, Jess, Polly and Jellybean. If you can't find another, I can always talk to one of them," suggests Betty.

"Actually," He pauses, a cautious look spreading across his face. "Maybe.. I should ask Archie to be my best man."

" _Jug_. You know I could never ask you to do that."

"No, I know, but, it happened a long time ago. And, it seems unreasonable to marry you while I still hold this against him."

Betty takes a second to think about what to say. She supposes that, no matter where they stand right now, it'd be rude to not invite Archie to the wedding at all, even if she knows he'd understand. She still has to worry about even telling him that the wedding has been moved up, and she can't lie- she worries too much of how he'll react.

"I really don't want to cause any problems," She admits, holding his cheek in her hand. "I just want to put the past behind us."

Jughead looks at her, straight in the eye, and he frowns. He decides he should tell her. Tell her why he was up so early, why there's a mess in both of their bedrooms. But, he doesn't.

"And it is. Okay? I love you," He says, and just as he leans in forward for a kiss, Veronica walks through their front door.

"Sorry to interrupt whatever that was, but, we have _a lot_ to accomplish before the wedding this weekend. First on my list, I'm taking the bride out shopping. You're coming home with a dress whether you like it or not," Veronica makes her way to the couple, who are both staring at her, entertained. She eyes them both, rolling her eyes. "Have you at least sent out the updated invitations to everyone?"

Jughead answers quickly, as Betty disappears upstairs to get changed. "Relax. I'll take care of it while you two are out. Anything else, ma'am?"

"A haircut, Jughead. A haircut would be swell," She smirks nastily, taking off her heels before following Betty up the stairs. She passes Jughead's room on the way to Betty's. "What happened in there?"

And then she walks in on a smaller but still, messy clutter lying on the floor in Betty's room as well. Her eyes widen.

"Oh that. Jughead was... doing something. I don't know."

"Wedding jitters, maybe," Veronica shrugs, " _Anyway,_ spill. Why the sudden urge to marry this weekend?"

Betty looks back, unsure if she should tell her, or if should she just keep what happened between her and Archie to herself. Her eyes naturally gravitate towards her bedroom window, but then she remembers she practically duct taped the curtains closed a few days ago. "Just something we wanted. No reason."

"Oh, come on. You are the worst liar, B."

She lets out a deep breath, and admits, far from proud, "Truth is, last night, Jughead found out that Archie and I kissed. For the first time."

"Woah, I take it back. You are an _amazing_ liar," She smiles, impressed, almost. "But, what does that have to do with the wedding?"

"He asked, if given the choice, if I would still marry him.. And it was like he was giving me a second chance. So I took it."

"But, are you sure you're ready to walk down the aisle so soon, B?"

"It's what's right."

"Sure," Veronica nods, though she's clearly more confused than she is understanding. "So, what about Archie? There's no residual feelings there, whatsoever? I mean, correct me if you must, but surely there's more of a reason why you didn't tell Jughead about the kiss."

"The only reason I didn't tell Jughead was because I didn't want to lose him."

"Ok," She decides to stop pushing it, and lets Betty focus on getting ready. She walks around her room, opening the curtains up before sitting down onto Betty's bed. "One more thing.. is Archie invited to the wedding?"

"Surprisingly, Jughead was the one who suggest he be there. Not only as a guest, but as his best man."

"Huh, that's really big of him," She says, puzzled. "Is that really a good idea?"

"Jughead thinks so. So, there's that," Betty shrugs.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me. I met his girlfriend, and let me just say... you should see her."

Betty's face shifts for a quick moment, but she quickly retracts. "She looks like a model, I bet."

"Actually, it's weird. She's pretty, but she looks exactly like… _you_ ," Veronica reveals, and Betty's heart does some weird thing, and she can't decide if she likes the feeling or hates it.

* * *

"This is Marci, Mom. Marci, my mom," Archie introduces them to one another, and Mary can't help but feel a little uneasy from the eager look on Marci's face. She honestly can't say she knows much about her, other than that she exists and that Archie has mentioned her only a handful of times in their conversations. Mary reaches to shake her hand, but Marci ignores it and goes straight for the hug.

"I'm so excited to finally meet you! Archie _always_ talks about you, but he never actually brings me home," She says, very happily. It's weird to see someone of her level of perkiness in Riverdale, a town drained of anything so positive long ago. She wonders why Archie, in contrast, has become so sullen, if he's surrounded by people like Marci.

"It's good to meet you, too, sweetie. I actually can't stay to join you two for lunch, but, I'll cook dinner tonight and you can meet Brooke as well."

Marci smiles as she questions her, curiously. "Brooke?"

"Yes, uh, Brooke, she's my girlfriend. Of almost five years now."

"Oh, wow! I _love_ that," She holds her hand against Mary's shoulder, and thankfully, Archie intervenes before the sudden awkwardness between the two furthers.

"Anyway," Archie intervenes, sensing the heightening awkwardness. "I'm gonna take Marci to the mall after Pop's. Do you need anything?"

"Oh, the mall," Mary pauses, thinking, "No... Actually! Do you mind shopping for a gift for Betty and Jughead? I'm gonna be super busy this week, I don't think I'll find any time to shop before the wedding on Saturday."

"Yeah, I'll take care of it," Archie nods slowly, but inside, his head almost explodes. He purposefully refrained from telling Marci about the wedding, in fear of two things. That A, he would no longer be an invited guest because of everything that happened, so there'd be no use in telling her. And B, his invitation was actually still valid, and Marci would _push_ for them to stay the week to attend. He had already spoke with her earlier that he was cutting his vacation short, that he got what he needed from his trip. He had already convinced her that they'd spend today, but only today, exploring the magnificent wonders of Riverdale, aka Murder City. But now, he just _knows_ she'll ask about the wedding. And what is he supposed to say? That he doesn't really wanna go because he had an affair with the bride? And that he's pretty sure he's still in love with her?

As they walk over to his car, as he assumed, Marci already bombards him with questions.

"Archie, there's a wedding this weekend? And you want to leave tomorrow?"

"Mar, it's tough. I'm not as close with them like before..."

"But, you did get invited, didn't you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then, you _need_ to go, it'd be rude not to. I mean, what's the big deal anyway? I take you to parties filled with people you don't know."

Great, he sighs. Now he has to explain that his invitation has most likely been revoked because of a few bad things that happened years ago. But before he starts, he hears someone call his name.

"Archie?" says Jughead, who is standing in front of his porch, not too far. Possibly here to add onto his problems. He walks towards them, Archie extremely nervous at what he'll say. _Oh hey, just wanted to say a big thank you for nearly ruining my eight year relationship. Fuck you._

"Jughead, hey," He clams up, hoping there's an ounce of forgiveness in Jughead, "This is uh, my girlfriend, Marci."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Marci. I'm Jughead, a friend of Archie's."

Archie can feel Marci wince, holding in a laugh as Jughead says his name. "Hi! So, you're the one...?"

"Yeah, Jughead's the one getting married, Mar," Archie slips in, in hopes to shorten the conversation. "Sorry, Jug, but we were actually on our way-"

" _I_ _t's_ _fine_ ," He emphasizes, and he knows there's an extra layer of meaning behind it. Archie clenches his brows together, still a little put off. "But, real quick, I just wanted to run something by you."

"Uh, yeah, shoot."

"Since Betty and I moved up the wedding to Saturday," He pauses, looking him in the eye, "Would you be cool with, I don't know, maybe, being my best man?"

The redhead muffles a tiny laugh in his throat, completely dumbfounded. " _Your best man?!_ " Though, he doesn't intend to sound as insulted as he does.

"Yeah, exactly," Jughead nods, nervously. Archie stands there, not capable of mustering an answer, no single word. There's no serious way he's actually asking him, of all people, to be his best man, to be the one to give a corny speech on why Jughead's a good guy and why he's _the_ perfect guy for Betty. It's almost like he's asking permission.

Marci tugs on his arm, urgently, " _Archie,_ hey. Give the poor guy an answer."

"Oh! Right, I mean, I-I guess, sure, yeah. If that's cool with you."

"Thanks, man, it means more than you know," He pats him against his shoulder, as he backpedals slowly towards his home. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. W-Wait, tomorrow?" Archie gazes towards Marci, who's just standing there, oblivious and busy. Probably admiring how the flowers in the field bloom.

"There's a dress fitting, or something like that. I assume Veronica will message you, I'm not exactly sure."

"Yes, of course," Archie purses his lips, stretching out his shoulder blades out. "I'll be there then."

"Alright then, Archie. And oh, Marci, I'll make sure Veronica remembers to add you to the guest list."

Marci grins, nodding, saving her squeals for when Jughead is gone. Archie exhales, stress coming at him faster than lightning. He finds himself wishing he hadn't told his mother about Marci to begin with, that he never ran into Jughead. That he never said what he said last night. Now he must put himself in a seemingly eternal limbo if he doesn't want to ruin the wedding or his relationship with Marci. But, the moment he stepped back into Riverdale, it seemed to be crumbling down all by itself.

* * *

Veronica opens the curtains, satisfied with the faint baby blue colored dress that just so naturally grazes her body so well. She turns away from the mirror, looking towards Betty, but it's clear as daylight that this bride isn't really making much of the decisions going into _her_ wedding.

"I think all of the bridesmaids would love this. What do you think, B?"

"Oh, uh, it looks beautiful."

" _Betty,"_ Veronica walks to her best friend, who looks deep in thought. "You've said that to the last seven dresses I've tried on. What's up?"

"Nothing. Everything seriously looks amazing on you. Which is an extremely stark contrast to me. I mean, look at all of the different dresses I've tried on. I look terrible in everything!"

Veronica moves Betty's hair back from her shoulders, tying it in a loose ponytail over her shoulder. "You know that's not true, B. It honestly might be the whole bridal moment thing Kevin mentioned. You just haven't had it yet, which would be completely normal and okay, but you _are_ getting married on Saturday."

"I know. I just, I can't stop thinking about something," She turns around to face her, still a little hesitant, but she really needs to hear someone else's opinion. "Last night, Archie said that he wrote me a letter, and all this time I've been holding this grudge against him, thinking he left me in the dark all this time. But, is that wrong? To be thinking of that right now?"

"That depends. Are you thinking about the letter because you feel guilty, or are you thinking about the letter because you wonder what it said?"

"Well, the first one, but I'm human... I can't help but think about what it might've said."

"True, but, no matter what it said. Would it have changed anything?"

Betty exhales, shaking her head, and then she feels refreshed as she should. Veronica's right, and her advice was just what she needed to hear. "I think I'm gonna take another circle around again. But, you're right about that dress... it looks _fantastic_ on you and I think all the bridesmaids should wear it."

Veronica beams, disappearing off into the fitting room just as Betty collects a few more dresses to try on. She decides it's unfair how easily Jughead can just come to the shop, find a suit, get fitted in said suit and he'd be good to go for the rest of the week. But, she goes back every time, because she's bound to like one of these dresses, even if she doesn't really. On her way back to their fitting room, she passes by Veronica scheduling the fittings and putting in place the uniform bridesmaids dresses with the worker. Betty quickly slides on one of the dresses behind the curtains, and when she walks out, she expects to see Veronica wearing a less than mediocre face, not at all the redhead standing before her. Well, not actually before her, but at the entrance, he gazes directly at her, and Betty feels some inner urge to cover up, as though he shouldn't see her in this, but she doesn't. Instead, she stands there, vulnerable in her dress, equally as frozen and stunned as he is. And there's a moment of absolute, tender bliss and desire to just stay there forever, as if she were being hypnotized simply by his entire being, much like every time they would just look at each other through their bedroom windows- there'd be no words spoken, just a simple look enough to communicate what they felt. Betty blinks, forcing herself to look away, though the feeling in her stomach remained. Her eyes soon see that he's with someone else, a blonde, slim girl, who's more occupied with shopping than she is her boyfriend. She can't make out much of her face to see if she actually does look like her. And right away, Betty hears footsteps near her and she sees Veronica making her way to her, and the look on her face looks a lot more honest and convincing than the others.

"Betty, you look stunning," She cheers a bit, doing a tiny celebratory clap and jump. "But, obviously, if it were up to me, you would've already walked away with a dress. So, what do _you_ think?"

"I-I think..." Betty stutters, her heart weighing down on her chest, guilt all around, but she loves the thrill, nonetheless. "I think I may have just had my bridal moment."

She had some moment, alright. And it's so convincing that Betty takes the dress, wrapped in a black garment bag, home with her. She enters the front door of their home, overjoyed to tell Jughead that she's found the dress, that there's absolutely nothing to worry about anymore. That seeing Archie and having her bridal moment was a gift from the Gods telling her that there is _no_ residual feelings, that she's moved on and that she's ready to commit to Jughead. But just as she walks in, she sees that mail has been pressed in the crevice of the door, an official statement documenting her acceptance of the internship in Hartford. She needs to tell him.

"Jug, I'm home," She says, the entire downstairs pitch black except for the kitchen light. She turns on a few lights, and Jughead comes scurrying down the stairs, his movements a familiar antsy. But he relaxes halfway on the staircase, as his rush becomes a stroll.

"Betty, hey," He says, brushing a hand through his hair. "So?"

"I've got it," Betty lifts the bag up, smiling a little. "They still need to fit it tomorrow, but I wanted to take it home. A sort of accomplishment, I guess."

"Still, that's great," says Jughead, and his eyes fall towards the envelope sitting in between her fingers. "What's that?"

"Oh, um, it's nothing," She shrugs it off, despite swearing she would tell him just earlier. But, she doesn't want to spoil the mood.

He nods, and then she just notices something is clearly bothering him. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you. So this morning, I-I woke up early, because I was looking for something. Something I had lost."

"What is it, Jug? Is everything alright?"

"No, yes, I just... I realize, that as I chastise you for kissing my best friend, I become the biggest hypocrite of all. I did something _just_ as equally deplorable.. if not, more."

His soft, guilty voice makes her nervous. "What are you talking about?"

He reaches for something in his back pocket, an envelope. Betty squints, puzzled at what it could possibly be. He hands it to her, swallowing hard as she reads it. It takes her a moment to process what she's holding in her hands. A letter from Archie, addressed to her name.

"Jug, w-why do you have this?" She feels her heart drop harder than anything she's felt before. She glares at him, angry, a loss of words at his betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Betty. I don't know what came over me. Seeing that letter, seeing that he had only sent one to _you_ , I just had this _gut_ feeling. He had just broken up with Veronica, a-and I was.. worried-"

"That I would just up and leave you because Archie said he loved me?" She shouts, cutting him off his words. Betty shakes her head, her mouth suddenly dry. "How could you do this?"

Jughead spits back, holding up his own, "I'm sorry, okay? But was it so crazy for me to think that, Betty? I mean, you kissed him!"

Betty fakes a laugh, hurt spreading all over her face. "You know, I think I'll stay at Veronica's tonight."

"Betty, hey, I didn't mean that-"

"No, Jug, I just need some space from all of this right now," She heads upstairs to pack a few things, and Jughead doesn't bother following.

When she gets into her bedroom, Betty instantly falls to the ground, her head hitting against the door of her closet, her ponytail loosening as she starts to cry. She looks at her legs, sprawled out, very unladylike. Her hands, stamped with her nails, in need of a manicure for the wedding, if it's even still happening. Her chest, pounding, excruciating, still, relaxing. And the bedroom window, shadowed by the curtains, bestowing a lifetime of walking blind. After a few minutes, her sobs die down, and she's surrounded by the mess of all the books and papers lying around, from Jughead looking, no doubt. Betty undoes her hair, standing in front of her vanity, leaving her blonde hair out freely, reminiscent of a wedding vail.

She holds the envelope close to her heart that she once told herself, time and time again, didn't exist. That Archie never wrote to her. A part of her wants to keep hidden the long forgotten words Archie wrote for her. But a part of her wants to know what she's long wondered over the course of an insufferable four years.

Betty moves back, unbelieving, suddenly overwhelmed with weakness. Memories of the last four years built off of the profound idea that Archie left without as much as a wave goodbye. A realization that this entire time, betrayal lied in her future partner's eyes, and all at once, the pain simmers all over.

She rips the letter open, her finger left unscathed, her stomach filled with butterflies, eyes full of tears. Here it goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very late update! I'm going to try and finish this fic before school starts, so I promise I'll be working this month ;)


End file.
